Born in Shadow
by Kuno-Baby
Summary: Sequel to A Lonely Shot In The Dark, because I was so interested in the subject.  not interested enough, coz it dead.


Born In Shadow

Sequel to A Lonely Shot In The Dark. Read it first, it's pretty short but integral.

AN: Edited, thanks to comments on TFF. The story will go a little different now.

I couldn't keep my identity. This is what I told myself. I was free, but I wouldn't stay that way for very long if I kept my identity.

The fact that the identity in question was not exactly mine was not far from my thoughts. The idea that everything I ever knew and loved belonged to someone else was nagging on my subconscious. I was real, but I was not the real me.

I didn't know what to do, where to start. Should I hide, until my tenuous life was over? Should I learn new techniques to help prolong my reality? Should I...

I realized with much grief that I had a lower time limit than I had originally thought. My chakra... was only a part of a living person's chakra. And it was running out. And... with every technique, with every use of chakra my time became shorter and shorter.

Changing my identity became last priority. Henge would take days off of my time limit. New techniques would only be useful if I could use them without losing chakra – which would require perfect control, which I could never get because using chakra to learn it would kill me.

I was still free. That thought kept me going through the dark realization that I had a timer on my entire universe, my everything would be gone in a short span.

I was at Wave before I knew where I was going, because the one place I knew, I could never return to. The Leaf... was too dangerous for me.

It was in Wave that I discovered what I would have to work on first...

Dodging.

A stray kunai flew at me a few meters into the village, carelessly thrown by two young shinobi apparently fighting in the street. I barely stumbled out of the way, and I was once again terrified.

Even a kunai that was thrown at someone else could end my life. Any missile, any punch, and technique would finish me. I could not afford to take a hit... no matter what.

And suddenly I was angry. Two careless combatants had almost ended my life. With precision, silence, and most of all skill I didn't even know I had, I had knocked down one ninja and had a knife to the throat of the other.

"We, we were just playing mister!" One of them said, and I looked at them closer. A wooden kunai lay on the ground behind where I had almost been destroyed. They held wooden swords and their headbands had no markings.. and were made of cheap tin.

"I'm... sorry, I'm just a little anxious..." I made mumbled excuses as I withdrew my blade.

Even a wooden kunai could kill me. I could not count on misses and luck.

I had to dodge everything, because even a successful block could be the end.

I had to dodge everything.

How could I possibly dodge everything?

The thought was mind-boggling. Nothing could hit me or I would be done. Nothing. I had to avoid everything that would come my way... Attacks, carelessly thrown objects... even friendly pats on the back.

How could I possibly dodge everything? Even training to dodge everything would probably kill me.

I visited Tazuna, and I made sure to avoid contact, even though a mere touch would not kill me. If he shook my hand too hard... but I obsess too much over such fears.

"What are you doing back in Wave, boy? Aren't you doing missions in Konoha?" Tazuna asked me, surprise in his voice, as he opened the door.

"Something came up. I need to stay out of the village for a while... it's a secret mission!" I tried to be enthusiastic, but failed.

"What's wrong? You seem... nervous. Or maybe depressed?" Tazuna, never too observant, took a swig of rum from a bottle on his kitchen counter. "This is the good stuff, made in Water country. Thanks to you guys, I can afford it."

"Well, now that you say it... I do have a problem." I said, hoping he would be able to help me.

"Speak up, boy. What's bugging you?" He said, roughly wiping his mouth with his wrist.

"I need training, like always, but my teachers are all in Konoha, where my mission prevents me from being. Do you know of anyone around here that could teach me?" I put my enthusiasm into it, trying to sound like the old me despite the fact that he was far from where I was.

"Training?" Tazuna questioned, slurring slightly. He took another sip from his bottle. "Inari has been getting lessons from an old ex-ninja. Says he wants to be a ninja, just like you. Why couldn't he build bridges, it's safer..." Tazuna trailed off, mumbling softly to himself and sipping some more. I quietly walked away, unsure if something was wrong or the drunkenness in midday was normal for the man.

Inari was returning to the house from the road as I exited. I managed to avoid his tackle and shout of "Naruto!" He seemed sort of put-off, but then brightened again.

"I learned a really cool technique! Wanna see?" Inari shouted, then scrunched his face in concentration and clenched his hands into fists in front of him.

After a few seconds, a pale white glow could be seen from his hands.

"Uh... Cool, what does it do?" I said, trying to remain in-character.

"I don't know!" Inari replied happily. "Sensei said it was... ehhh... a technique for focusing external chakra. He said it's the best way to learn chakra control!"

"External chakra?" I asked, thinking quickly. "How does it work?"

"Well, you focus chakra from the inside to the outside... manipulating it outside of the tenketsu. Whatever those are!" Inari laughed and ran inside, leaving me to my thoughts. Lame techniques and focusing tricks wouldn't help... but external chakra...

In my thoughts, I wandered around, visiting places I'd been before. In the year since I had last been to Wave, the trees slashed by those bandits had not healed. The bridge, however, was still clean and bright as if it was brand-new. I could even feel the spirit of the battle we had fought in while standing on the bridge.

If I could feel it... maybe some of it... was still there?

I focused on my chakra, thinking about what Inari had said. Outside the tenketsu, outside the body... Reaching for the feeling that I felt while standing on this bridge...

And suddenly I felt energy like never before. The wind blew across my palms like lightning in the clouds. The earth beneath my feet channeled into me, the smell of the water, and most of all the brightly shining sun!

I stopped the technique, suddenly feeling guilty that this pleasure could be had from what was, to me, a site of much sorrow.

I checked my reserves, and almost did a double-take. I had almost twice as much chakra available to me after such a short time.

Maybe it was the technique, but I doubt it. Maybe it was my nature as a chakra-created being. But I had found a way to make my life... into a life again. Somehow.

And once again I thanked Haku, glancing at the spot where he had fallen.

My first worry was gone. And I was free. 


End file.
